I agree wholeheartedly with what Mr. Call wrote to this paper about Ironton not needing a rebranded Ironton aLive(IaL)!

That is exactly why we formed the Ironton Business Community (IBC), an organization of Ironton business owners and executives, dedicated to bettering the community through bettering the business environment in our great city.

I, too, wish that IaL could get their act together and fulfill their mission statement, but as most of the members past and current agree, that does not appear to be a realistic dream. That is why we, as the IBC, made the conscious and intentional decision to be a stand-alone organization.

The IBC is not affiliated with IaL or any other existing organizations. We made this decision recognizing the issues facing the efficacy of the current “old guard”. If we believed that the current IaL could be turned around to accomplish their goals from the inside, we would have been happy to have joined up and made that effort. But taking circumstances as they are, and not how we wish they could be, we realized that would be impossible and deemed it necessary to start from scratch as an independent and autonomous organization.

I have been so inspired and refreshed to witness the number of Ironton business people who have signed on to work with the IBC to make a difference in the business environment of our city. They, in turn, seem to be inspired and refreshed to be a part of a group that does not wallow in politics, infighting, inefficiency, and conflicting agendas.

I also completely agree with Mr. Call that recycling old ideas and goals does no one any good. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Our view is that the way things have been done for decades has not worked, so it’s time to try something new. We are intentionally looking towards the younger generation of business people to lead, since the future of our city lies in their hands. We want to help businesses move into the markets of today, and encouraging the businesses of tomorrow.

The IBC has been organized for about two months now, and already we have made some great traction, with many more initiatives in the works!

People driving downtown will see the effects of our first effort soon, when the Brumberg Building is a little less of an eyesore and our city will be that much more attractive to businesses and customers. The IBC is coordinating Second Saturdays (think Ashland’s First Fridays), starting May 12, to put customers in front of our businesses. We are starting Facebook Live videos for “Featured Business Fridays” that will highlight and promote Ironton businesses on social media, with incentives for shopping in each one.

The true strength of our organization, though, is the members working together to find solutions to the problems their businesses face every day. It’s through that mission of working together toward the betterment of Ironton’s business environment that the Ironton Business Community will be able to cut through the stagnation that has plagued our City for so long and move into the new era of greatness for Ironton.

 

Casey Compston
Ironton